Bagels

Bagels
Bagels is Head to the store and pick up baking soda, unbleached bread flour, water, and a few other things to make it today. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 45 minutes.

Instructions

1
Do ahead
2
To make the dough, stir the malt syrup, yeast, and salt into the lukewarm water.
Ingredients you will need
Malt SyrupMalt Syrup
DoughDough
WaterWater
YeastYeast
SaltSalt
3
Place the flour into a mixing bowl and pour in the malt syrup mixture. If using a mixer, use the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed for 3 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large, sturdy spoon and stir for about 3 minutes, until well blended. The dough should form a stiff, coarse ball, and the flour should be fully hydrated; if it isn’t, stir in a little more water.
Ingredients you will need
Malt SyrupMalt Syrup
DoughDough
All Purpose FlourAll Purpose Flour
WaterWater
Equipment you will use
Mixing BowlMixing Bowl
BlenderBlender
4
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
5
Resume mixing with the dough hook on the lowest speed for another 3 minutes or transfer to a very lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for about 3 minutes to smooth out the dough and develop the gluten. The dough should be stiff yet supple, with a satiny, barely tacky feel. If the dough seems too soft or overly tacky, mix or knead in a little more flour.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
All Purpose FlourAll Purpose Flour
6
Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
WrapWrap
Equipment you will use
Plastic WrapPlastic Wrap
BowlBowl
7
When you’re ready to shape the bagels, prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat, then misting it with spray oil or lightly coating it with oil. Divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces. (A typical bagel is about 4 ounces or 113 grams before baking, but you can make them smaller. If you make more than 6 bagels, you may need to prepare 2 sheet pans.) Form each piece into a loose ball by rolling it on a clean, dry work surface with a cupped hand. (Don’t use any flour on the work surface. If the dough slides around and won’t ball up, wipe the surface with a damp paper towel and try again; the slight bit of moisture will provide enough traction for the dough to form into a ball.) There are two methods to shape the balls into bagels.
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
DoughDough
All Purpose FlourAll Purpose Flour
Cooking OilCooking Oil
Equipment you will use
Baking PaperBaking Paper
Paper TowelsPaper Towels
Frying PanFrying Pan
8
The first method is to poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape. Holding the dough with both thumbs in the hole, rotate the dough with your hands, gradually stretching it to create a hole about 2 inches in diameter.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
9
The second method, preferred by professional bagel makers, is to use both hands (and a fair amount of pressure) to roll the ball into a rope about 8 inches long on a clean, dry work surface. (Again, wipe the surface with a damp towel, if necessary, to create sufficient friction on the work surface.) Taper the rope slightly at each end and moisten the last inch or so of the ends.
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
RollRoll
10
Place one end of the dough in the palm of your hand and wrap the rope around your hand to complete the circle, going between your thumb and forefinger and then all the way around. The ends should overlap by about 2 inches. Squeeze the overlapping ends together by closing your hand, then press the seam into the work surface, rolling it back and forth a few times to seal.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
WrapWrap
11
Remove the dough from your hand, squeezing it to even out the thickness if need be and creating a hole of about 2 inches in diameter.
Ingredients you will need
DoughDough
12
Place each shaped bagel on the prepared sheet pan, then mist with spray oil or brush with a light coating of oil. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. (You can also proof the full piece of dough in the oiled bowl overnight and then shape the bagels on baking day, 60 to 90 minutes before boiling and baking them, or as soon as they pass the float test.)
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
DoughDough
WrapWrap
Cooking OilCooking Oil
Equipment you will use
Plastic WrapPlastic Wrap
BowlBowl
Frying PanFrying Pan
13
On baking day
1
Place one of the bagels in a small bowl of cold water. If it sinks and doesn’t float back to the surface, shake it off, return it to the pan, and wait for another 15 to 20 minutes, then test it again. When one bagel passes the float test, they’re all ready to be boiled. If they pass the float test before you are ready to boil and bake them, return them to the refrigerator so they don’t overproof. About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and gather and prepare your garnishes (seeds, onions, garlic, and so on).
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
GarlicGarlic
OnionOnion
SeedsSeeds
ShakeShake
WaterWater
Equipment you will use
OvenOven
BowlBowl
Frying PanFrying Pan
2
To make the poaching liquid, fill a pot with 2 to 3 quarts (64 to 96 oz / 181 to 272 g) of water, making sure the water is at least 4 inches deep. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain at a simmer. Stir in the malt syrup, baking soda, and salt.
Ingredients you will need
Baking SodaBaking Soda
Malt SyrupMalt Syrup
WaterWater
SaltSalt
Equipment you will use
PotPot
3
Gently lower each bagel into the simmering poaching liquid, adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. They should all float to the surface within 15 seconds. After 1 minute, use a slotted spoon to turn each bagel over. Poach for another 30 to 60 seconds, then use the slotted spoon to transfer it back to the pan, domed side up. (It’s important that the parchment paper be lightly oiled, or the paper will glue itself to the dough as the bagels bake.)
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
DoughDough
Equipment you will use
Baking PaperBaking Paper
Slotted SpoonSlotted Spoon
OvenOven
Frying PanFrying Pan
PotPot
4
Sprinkle on a generous amount of whatever toppings you like as soon as the bagels come out of the water (except cinnamon sugar; see the variation for details).
Ingredients you will need
Cinnamon SugarCinnamon Sugar
BagelBagel
WaterWater
5
Transfer the pan of bagels to the oven, then lower the oven heat to 450°F (232°C).
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
Equipment you will use
OvenOven
Frying PanFrying Pan
6
Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pan and check the underside of the bagels. If they’re getting too dark, place another pan under the baking sheet. (Doubling the pan will insulate the first baking sheet.)
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
Equipment you will use
Baking SheetBaking Sheet
OvenOven
Frying PanFrying Pan
7
Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the bagels are a golden brown.
Ingredients you will need
BagelBagel
Equipment you will use
OvenOven
8
Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.
Equipment you will use
Wire RackWire Rack
9
Variations
10
You can replace any amount of the bread flour with an equal amount of whole grain flour (by weight), such as wheat or rye. If you do so, increase the water in the dough by 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) for every 2 ounces (56.5 g) of whole grain flour you substitute.
Ingredients you will need
All Purpose FlourAll Purpose Flour
DoughDough
RyeRye
WaterWater
11
Top your bagels with any combination of the following garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour before applying.) The toppings will stick even better if you first brush the top of each bagel with an egg white wash made by whisking 1 egg white with 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz / 14 g) of water. If using coarse salt as a garnish, remember that a little goes a long way.
Ingredients you will need
Dried OnionDried Onion
Sesame SeedsSesame Seeds
Coarse SaltCoarse Salt
Poppy SeedsPoppy Seeds
Egg WhitesEgg Whites
BagelBagel
GarlicGarlic
WaterWater
Equipment you will use
WhiskWhisk
12
For raisin bagels, mix in 1 1/3 cups (8 oz / 227 g) of raisins during the final 2 minutes of mixing and, if you like cinnamon, stir 1/2 teaspoon (0.14 oz / 4 g) of ground cinnamon into the flour before you start mixing. When the bagels come out of the oven, brush the tops with melted butter and dip the top into a bed of cinnamon sugar to give it a very tasty cinnamon crust. You can make cinnamon sugar by whisking 2 tablespoons (1.6 oz / 44 g) of ground cinnamon into 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) of granulated sugar.
Ingredients you will need
Granulated SugarGranulated Sugar
CinnamonCinnamon
Cinnamon SugarCinnamon Sugar
RaisinsRaisins
BagelBagel
ButterButter
DipDip
All Purpose FlourAll Purpose Flour
Equipment you will use
WhiskWhisk
OvenOven
13
"Reprinted with permission from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads by Peter Reinhart, copyright © 200
14
Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc." Photo credit: Leo Gong © 2009Peter Reinhart is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper's
15
Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of seven books on bread baking, including Crust and Crumb, the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year, The Bread
Ingredients you will need
BreadBread
CrustCrust
16
Baker's Apprentice, and the 2008 James Beard Award-winning Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.
Ingredients you will need
GrainsGrains

Recommended wine: Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Zinfandel

Riesling, Sparkling Wine, and Zinfandel are great choices for Southern. In general, there are a few rules that will help you pair wine with southern food. Food-friendly riesling or sparkling white wine will work with many fried foods, while zinfandel is great with barbecued fare. The Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Number 5 with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 69 dollars per bottle.
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Number 5
Weingut Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Number 5
DifficultyExpert
Ready In45 m.
Servings6
Health Score7
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